KUALA LUMPUR – PKR Vice President Datuk Sri R Ramanan today marked a personal milestone as he was appointed the Minister of Human Resources (Kesuma), after previously serving as the Deputy Minister of Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives (Kuskop).
In an emotional tone, he expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for the trust placed in him. “On behalf of the Indian community in this country, I would like to say nandri (thank you) to the prime minister for giving me this honour and mandate to shoulder the responsibility as human resources minister,” he said.
His appointment ends the controversy over the absence of a Tamil‑speaking representative in Anwar’s cabinet, following the dismissal of former Human Resources Minister V Sivakumar in December 2023. The cabinet had previously been criticised as the first in Malaysia’s history without a minister fluent in Tamil.
For Ramanan, the new role is not just symbolic representation but a major responsibility to strengthen the nation’s workforce agenda comprehensively, inclusively, and competitively, in line with the aspirations of Malaysia Madani.
“I will carry out these duties with full dedication and commitment to safeguard the hopes of Malaysians, including the Indian community, and the nation as a whole,” he said in a statement.
He also extended thanks to colleagues at Kuskop for their strong support during his tenure as deputy minister.
Ramanan first captured national attention when he defeated BN candidate Khairy Jamaluddin in the Sungai Buloh parliamentary seat during the 15th General Election. Before joining PKR, he was a member of MIC, serving in various roles including party treasurer‑general.
Within PKR, Ramanan’s profile has risen steadily. He won the position of Vice President in the party elections last May and is known as a strong supporter of Nurul Izzah Anwar, the prime minister’s daughter, in her successful bid to unseat incumbent deputy president Rafizi Ramli.
Confident about the party’s future, Ramanan has previously voiced his belief that under Nurul Izzah’s leadership, PKR could secure between 70 and 80 parliamentary seats in the next general election. – December 17, 2025